Telegraph readers on vaccine passports: 'Holiday destinations can't turn away British tourism'

As revealed by the Telegraph, vaccine passports could be trialled by thousands of Britons as part of a government-funded trial taking place this month. While the aim of the trial is to track of the number of people that have received the first or second dose of the vaccine, there could be significant implications for travel.

Vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi has played down reports of passports being introduced, while the head of the World Travel and Tourism Council has branded passport proposals as 'discriminatory'.

Writing for the Telegraph, Patrick O'Flynn has warned that immunity passports will stoke the fires of inter-generational rage and now Telegraph readers have had their say.

Read on to see what your fellow readers have had to say and then share your thoughts in the comments section at the bottom of this article.

'This is not new'

@Hilary Easton:

"Certificates of vaccination have always been required for travel or return to and from certain countries. What is the difference here?

"Okay it’s unfortunate that younger people will have to wait a couple of months longer to go on holiday but is that such a huge problem?"

'A negative test is better than a vaccine'

@Stuart Wilson:

"Presumably desperate countries with a broken economy reliant on 18-30s would either ignore this requirement, or require a clean Covid test on arrival?

"Vaccines apparently don't stop you spreading it. A clean Covid test would be of more use for a resort."

'Europe needs us to visit'

@Jimmy Bed:

"Vaccine passports won’t happen. The EU will not have a vaccinated population by this summer but their tourist industry is on its knees. They need us to visit."

'Passports exacerbate division'

@Andrew McDonald:

"The Covid passports are dystopian full stop. They don't aid safety, they exacerbate division.

"If Boris wants to keep winning he must put the young at the top of his agenda. It's going to be difficult, by the time children leave university as adults they've had fifteen years of anti Tory propaganda rammed down their throats."

'Countries will just accept a negative Covid test'

@Adam Hardy:

"Agree with the sentiments however I strongly suspect that in an effort not to lose all of the family holiday business and business travel, countries will also accept a recent negative Covid test result, as they do now."

'Will become the norm'

@Mike Smith:

"Foreign countries have every right to restrict entry as they see fit in a time of pandemic so ‘no vaccination, no foreign travel’ is likely to be the norm for holidays for the next few years.

"To suggest that we should risk spreading more mutant viruses by allowing unrestricted travel just to make youngsters feel better is incredibly irresponsible."

'You can’t afford to travel if not vaccinated'

@Cyprus Expat:

"Tourism is vital to the Cypriot economy and the British are the largest visitor by nationality, and here in western Cyprus, make up the great bulk of our visitors. This country desperately needs the British tourist Euro.

"However, due to the sclerotic EU insisting it purchases all the vaccines for us, together with a Government whose complete lack of planning for a vaccine roll out makes the UK's planning look like a model of efficiency, our hospitals will still be full of Covid patients this year.

"We cannot afford to risk bringing in tourists who have not been vaccinated and may contract the virus either from other tourists or from the Cypriots themselves, thus placing further strain on our already creaking health service."

'This is not a bad thing'

@Clive Clapham:

"I travelled as a child in the 60s and 70s. I seem to remember we had passport inserts with records of six different vaccinations, such as tetanus, cholera, yellow fever and diphtheria.

"How the concept of a vaccine certificate (passport) is somehow a bad thing is not comprehensible.

"In these times, a travel licence is no different, in principle, to a driving licence, a certificate of your status. Brits might forget that, in many countries, it is illegal to drive without your licence to hand.

"When I get the vaccine I intend to take a full record for presentation to any legitimately official (e.g. border guard)."

'Not a big deal'

@Peta Seel:

"We are told that vaccine supply is no problem, good. So anyone, of any age, who wants to travel and requires a certificate to do so is given the right to a vaccination and a certificate on production of their booking.

"I am old enough to remember having to carry a yellow vaccination certificate when I travelled. It really isn't a big deal."

Do you think vaccine passports are a good idea? Let us know in the comments section below.